Colorful tails fade when lizards adopt less risky behaviors

Colorful tails that become cryptic during ontogeny are found in diverse taxa. Nevertheless, the evolutionary bases for this change remain debated. Recent work suggests that colorful tails, deflective displays, and striped patterns may represent antipredator mechanisms used by immature lizards to compensate for being more active and hence more vulnerable to predation (increased movement hypothesis, IMH). I challenged the generality of IMH by comparing foraging behavior and frequency of tail displays across five Acanthodactylus lizards that vary in fundamental life history traits, before and after the tail changed color. As these species underwent changes in tail coloration, they congruently adopted less risky behaviors and reduced the frequencies of tail displays. Contrary to expectation, in two species, the hatchling risky behavior resulted not from increased movements but from longer stay in exposed microhabitats. I suggest that colorful tails and deflective tail displays are synergistic antipredator mechanisms neonates use to minimize the fitness consequences of using various risky behaviors rather than increased movement alone.     

Changes of movement patterns from early dispersal to settlement

Moving and spatial learning are two intertwined processes: (a) changes in movement behavior determine the learning of the spatial environment, and (b) information plays a crucial role in several animal decision-making processes like movement decisions. A useful way to explore the interactions between movement decisions and learning of the spatial environment is by comparing individual behaviors during the different phases of natal dispersal (when individuals move across more or less unknown habitats) with movements and choices of breeders (who repeatedly move within fixed home ranges), that is, by comparing behaviors between individuals who are still acquiring information vs. individuals with a more complete knowledge of their surroundings. When analyzing movement patterns of eagle owls, Bubo bubo, belonging to three status classes (floaters wandering across unknown environments, floaters already settled in temporary settlement areas, and territory owners with a well-established home range), we found that: (1) wandering individuals move faster than when established in a more stable or fixed settlement area, traveling larger and straighter paths with longer move steps; and (2) when floaters settle in a permanent area, then they show movement behavior similar to territory owners. Thus, movement patterns show a transition from exploratory strategies, when animals have incomplete environmental information, to a more familiar way to exploit their activity areas as they get to know the environment better.     

Female seed beetles, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Callosobruchus maculatus,</Emphasis> remate for male-supplied water rather than ejaculate nutrition

Female seed beetles, Callosobruchus maculatus, mate multiply even though association with males and copulations carry costs, such as injury to the genital tract. Multiple mating (polyandry) may, however, offset these costs through the acquisition of food and water, two material benefits hypothesized to be obtained from the large ejaculates produced by males. The material benefits hypothesis can be tested by increasing female access to nutrients and water, with the prediction that female mating frequency will decrease as copulation is no longer required to derive these materials. Females were given water, 5% sugar–water or baker’s yeast, and were compared with females deprived of these. We presented females with virgin males daily for 8 days and recorded female mating frequency, survivorship, and fecundity. Females provided with water and sugar–water decreased mating frequency. Thus, water, rather than nutrients in the ejaculate, appears to be important to females of this species. In addition, both life span and fecundity were extended for females in the sugar–water and water treatments. Since water is scarce in the arid environment in which this species is found, we conclude that polyandry provides material benefits to females that may offset some of the costs of associating with males.     

Inception of formation and early morphogenesis of the bacterial light organ of the sea urchin cardinalfish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Siphamia versicolor</Emphasis>

The cardinalfish Siphamia versicolor (Perciformes: Apogonidae) forms a bioluminescent symbiosis with the marine luminous bacterium Photobacterium mandapamensis, harboring the bacteria in a ventral, disc-shaped light organ and using the bacterial light apparently for counterillumination and attracting prey. Little definitive information has been available on the developmental and microbiological events surrounding the initiation of symbiosis, a critical stage in the life history of the fish, in S. versicolor or any of the many other species of bacterially luminous fish. To identify the stage at which light organ formation begins, to determine the origin of cells forming the light organ, and to characterize its bacterial colonization status during development, early developmental stages of S. versicolor obtained and reared from wild-caught mouth-brooding males were examined with histological and microbiological methods. A light organ primordium was not evident in embryos, post-embryos, or pre-release larvae, whereas the light organ began to form within 1 day of release of full-term pre-flexion larvae from the mouths of male fish. Analysis of post-release larvae revealed that the light organ arises from a proliferation and differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells, and that it quickly develops structural complexity, including the formation of chambers and gaps contiguous with the intestinal epithelium. However, the nascent light organ remained uncolonized by the symbiotic bacteria through several days of post-release development, even in the presence of high numbers of the symbiotic bacteria. These results demonstrate that the inception of light organ formation in S. versicolor occurs independently of its symbiotic bacteria and that receptivity to bacterial colonization apparently requires substantial post-release development of the light organ. Larvae therefore most likely acquire their symbiotic bacteria from seawater, during or shortly after the transition from the pre-flexion to the flexion developmental stage.     

Clearance rates of the great scallop (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pecten maximus</Emphasis>) and blue mussel (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Mytilus edulis</Emphasis>) at low natural seston concentrations

Great scallop, Pecten maximus, and blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, clearance rate (CR) responses to low natural seston concentrations were investigated in the laboratory to study (1) short-term CR variations in individual bivalves exposed to a single low seston diet, and (2) seasonal variations in average CR responses of bivalve cohorts to natural environmental variations. On a short temporal scale, mean CR response of both species to 0.06 μg L⁻¹ chlorophyll a (Chl a) and 0.23 mg L⁻¹ suspended particulate matter (SPM) remained constant despite large intra-individual fluctuations in CR. In the seasonal study, cohorts of each species were exposed to four seston treatments consisting of ambient and diluted natural seston that ranged in mean concentration from 0.15 to 0.43 mg L⁻¹ SPM, 0.01 to 0.88 μg L⁻¹ Chl a, 36 to 131 μg L⁻¹ particulate organic carbon and 0.019 to 0.330 mm³ L⁻¹ particle volume. Although food abundance in all treatments was low, the nutritional quality of the seston was relatively high (e.g., mean particulate organic content ranged from 68 to 75%). Under these low seston conditions, a high percentage of P. maximus (81–98%) and M. edulis (67–97%) actively cleared particles at mean rates between 9 and 12 and between 4 and 6 L g⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively. For both species, minimum mean CR values were obtained for animals exposed to the lowest seston concentrations. Within treatments, P. maximus showed a greater degree of seasonality in CR than M. edulis, which fed at a relatively constant rate despite seasonal changes in food and temperature. P. maximus showed a non-linear CR response to increasing Chl a levels, with rates increasing to a maximum at approximately 0.4 μg L⁻¹ Chl a and then decreasing as food quantity continued to increase. Mean CR of M. edulis also peaked at a similar concentration, but remained high and stable as the food supply continued to increase and as temperatures varied between 4.6 and 19.6°C. The results show that P. maximus and M. edulis from a low seston environment, do not stop suspension-feeding at very low seston quantities; a result that contradicts previous conclusions on the suspension-feeding behavior of bivalve mollusks and which is pertinent to interpreting the biogeographic distribution of bivalve mollusks and site suitability for aquaculture.     

证据推理法在战略环境评价中的应用

将基于证据理论(D-S 理论)的证据推理法(ER)用于战略环境评价(SEA),阐述了D-S 理论以及ER 法的基本原理,选取我国能源战略评价实例,展示ER 法运用信度结构和ER 递归运算表述和综合初始评价信息,并结合决策者偏好的效用函数,得出每一替代方案的期望效用,最后依据各替代方案的期望效用得出各方案的优劣次序,为决策提供依据.     

温度和pH值对活性污泥法脱氮除磷的影响

温度和pH值是影响污水脱氮除磷效果的2个重要因素.试验采用连续搅拌槽式反应器(continuous stirred tank reactor,CSTR),通过对不同温度和pH值条件下的硝化、反硝化、释磷和吸磷反应速率的测定,总结出温度和pH值对活性污泥生化反应速率的影响规律.试验表明,硝化和反硝化速率随温度的升高而加快.在5℃和33℃时,硝化速率分别为0.01 kg NH4 -N/(kg VSS·d)和0.28 kg NH4 -N/(kg VSS·d);在5℃和30℃时,反硝化速率分别为0.097 kg NO3--N/(kg VSS·d)和0.476 kg NO3--N/(kg VSS·d);但温度对吸磷和释磷速率的影响不大.pH值对硝化、反硝化、吸磷和释磷速率均有显著影响,在pH值为7.74时,硝化速率为0.095 kg NO3--N/(kg VSS·d);而在pH值为4.9和10.08时,硝化速率仅为0.005 kg NO3--N/(kg VSS·d)和0.006 kg NO3--N/(kg VSS·d).在pH值为7.85时,反硝化速率达到最大值0.36 kg NO3--N/(kg VSS·d);而在偏酸性和碱性条件下,反硝化速率显著下降.     

废物水泥窑共处置产品中重金属的释放特性

选用欧盟固体中无机组分有效量测试方法(EA NEN7371)和块状材料中无机组分的扩散实验方法(EA NEN7375),研究了模拟混凝土样品中重金属(Cr、Ni、As、Cd和Pb)的释放特性.结果表明,混凝土中重金属的有效释放量低于总量;不同重金属的有效释放量与总量比值差异较大.扩散控制是混凝土中Cr、Ni和Cd释放的主要机理,释放曲线与斜率为0.5的直线拟合较佳,且不同区间浸出量曲线的斜率均在0.35~0.65范围内;As在释放前期有延滞现象,但中后期仍以扩散控制为主;Pb的释放为溶解控制,受浸取液的pH值影响较大.重金属扩散系数负对数值按Pb相似文献   

多米诺事故情景下的区域环境风险评价

将多米诺效应纳入化工区环境风险评价中,采用扩展概率模型和蒙特卡洛模拟的方法计算多米诺事故的概率,运用大气和水扩散模型模拟污染事故的后果,进而利用地理信息系统分析在多米诺事故情景下的区域环境风险水平.结果表明,研究区域67.5%的风险源能引发二次事故,平均每个初始事故引发9.58次二次事故、17.21次三次事故.二次事故情景和三次事故情景下的区域环境风险值分别是一次事故的6.40倍和12.33倍,多米诺效应明显放大了区域环境风险值,应成为今后风险防范的重点.     

多级强化地下水修复技术对NH_4~+-N的去除机制

为解决地下水污染修复技术中PT(抽出处理)和PRB(渗透性反应墙)存在的一些不足,搭建了MET(多级强化地下水修复技术)小试装置,以NH4+-N为目标污染物,研究MET对地下水中NH4+-N的去除效果及机制.结果表明,在进水水力负荷为14.68 m3/(m2·d)、ρ(NH4+-N)为25.0 mg/L的条件下,装置连续运行45 d,NH4+-N去除率呈先降后升、平稳后再下降的趋势,平均值达90%以上.出水ρ(NH4+-N)平均值为2.0 mg/L,其中,硝化作用和微生物同化作用使ρ(NH4+-N)平均下降13.9和5.2mg/L,分别占进水ρ(NH4+-N)的54%和20%;植物作用、基质永久吸附作用和挥发作用分别使ρ(NH4+-N)下降2.9、0.7和0.7mg/L,占进水ρ(NH4+-N)的12%、3%和3%.综上,MET对地下水中NH4+-N的去除率可达90%,实现了高效去除NH4+-N的目标.